Butylene Glycol and Related Ingredients

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Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are clear, practically colorless, liquids. In cosmetics and personal care products, these ingredients are used in the formulation of hair and bath products, eye and facial makeup, fragrances, personal cleanliness products, and shaving and skin care products.

Why are they used in cosmetics and personal care products?

Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are used as solvents and viscosity decreasing agents in cosmtics and personal care products.

Scientific Facts:

Butylene Glycol, or 1,3-Butanediol, dissolves most essential oils and synthetic flavoring substances. Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are glycols or glycol ethers. Glycols are a class of alcohols that contain two hydroxyl groups which are also called a diols.

Safety

Safety Information:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits Butylene Glycol to be used as a synthetic flavoring and adjuvant for direct addition to food. Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol are allowed to be used as indirect food additives. For example, Butylene Glcyol may be used in polymeric coatings in contact with food, and Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol may be used in adhesives in contact with food.

The safety of Butylene Glycol and related ingredients has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products.

In 2004, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on Butylene Glycol and the related ingredients and reaffirmed the above conclusion.

More safety Information:

CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel noted that Butylene Glycol can be metabolized and used as a source of calories. The results of acute, subchronic, and chronic oral toxicity studies indicated a low order of toxicity for these glycols. Results of parenteral injection, inhalation, and acute and subchronic cutaneous toxicity studies likewise supported a low order of toxicity.

Butylene Glycol caused minimal to mild skin irritation but no evidence of sensitization. The glycols produced mild to severe ocular irritation with Hexylene Glycol producing the most severe irritation. A number of product formulations containing these glycols at concentrations up to 21.4% have been tested in various human skin irritation and sensitization assays. The degree of irritation produced depended upon the particular product. There was no correlation between the degree of irritation and the concentration of the glycol present in the product. There were no reactions indicative of skin sensitization to these glycols in any skin sensitization assays and no suggestions of phototoxicity or photosensitization.

Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol are aliphatic diols that function as solvents and viscosity decreasing agents in cosmetics and personal care products. Ethoxydiglycol, the ethyl ether of diethylene glycol, contains only one hydroxyl group. It also functions as a solvent and viscosity decreasing agent.

Resources

Resources:

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration